Atletico Madrid complete £30.3m deal for Nigeria star Ademola Lookman

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman from Atalanta in a deal worth £30.3 million, Sport360NG reports.

The 28-year-old has put pen to paper on a contract running until June 2030, with the Spanish club confirming the transfer on deadline day after agreeing terms with Atalanta earlier in the week.

The move sees Lookman become the first English-born footballer to have featured in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga. Only 21 players have played across all four leagues, while just three, Christian Poulsen, Justin Kluivert and Stevan Jovetic, have appeared in all five of Europe’s major leagues, including France’s Ligue 1.

London-born Lookman joined Atalanta in 2022 from RB Leipzig and enjoyed a prolific spell in Italy, scoring 55 goals and registering 27 assists in all competitions. His standout moment came in the 2024 Europa League final, where he netted a historic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen to secure Atalanta’s first European trophy.

His performances earned widespread recognition in 2024, when he was named African Footballer of the Year. He was also the only African player shortlisted for the men’s Ballon d’Or, finishing 14th in the voting.

Internationally, Lookman represented England at youth level and was part of the squad that won the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, before switching allegiance to Nigeria and making his senior debut in 2022.

Atletico currently sit third in La Liga, ten points behind leaders Barcelona, and Lookman’s arrival adds attacking firepower as Diego Simeone’s side look to close the gap at the top.

Lookman began his professional career at Charlton Athletic, making his debut in 2015, before joining Everton two years later, scoring on his Premier League debut. He later moved to Leipzig in 2019 and spent loan spells with Fulham and Leicester City before establishing himself in Serie A.